Wrapp Set to Bring New Social Gifting Service to Italy

"As we begin our work here, it's clear that Italian merchants understand the difference between Wrapp's in a class by itself customer-acquisition platform that leverages friend-to-friend marketing, and the clones and copycats that are nothing more than new-age gift card resellers," said Wrapp's CEO Hjalmar Winbladh. "We don't own ecommerce businesses and promise to never start one. That means we can ensure Italian retailers a long and lasting relationship with Wrapp built on technology and real value creation."

"Gift alone or gift with your friends, with Wrapp you never have to miss celebrating important moments ever again," said Nordahl. "Your friends will love the convenience of having their gift cards stored in their phone. Wrapp gift cards are always there when your friends are ready to use them."

To start sending free gift cards to friends and family living in the U.S., U.K., Norway or Sweden -- or who are planning to visit there in the near future -- download the Wrapp mobile app from Apple's App Store or Google Play. Or use the web app at www.wrapp.com and connect it to your Facebook account.

Wrapp was started last year by Wrapp's CEO Hjalmar Winbladh and a small team of Sweden's best and brightest entrepreneurs, including Andreas Ehn, Spotify's first chief innovation officer; Magnus Hult, who played a key role in building Spotify's original research and platform; Aage Reerslev, founder of mobile browser maker Squace; Leo Giertz, founder of Barefoot Hackers, one of Sweden's most acclaimed iPhone development shops; Carl Fritjofsson, strategy advisor to Groupon.se; and Fabian Mansson, former CEO of H&M and Eddie Bauer, who now serves as Wrapp's chairman.

Winbladh co-founded Sendit, the first mobile Internet company, where he served as CEO, and took it public in 1997, earlier being acquired by Microsoft. In 2006 Winbladh co-founded Rebtel, now the world's largest independent mobile VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) company, where he continues as chairman.